Use job center and commuter shed analysis to site and design magnet schools¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The report recommends siting magnets near job centers so parents can transport children during commutes, increasing demand for open-enrollment seats. It states: "Job centers and commuter sheds are important concepts in the design and creation of magnet schools because they show the geographic areas in which centrally located schools are most likely to be accessible to the largest number of students." Commuter shed analysis also supports modeling expected school demographics, informing themes and curricula, and coordinating school, housing, and transit planning.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Data on regional job centers and commuter flows, such as Census Bureau Journey to Work data used for the report's Twin Cities map

Constraints¶

• The report notes this is not the only siting consideration; schools must also be sited near or within areas needing revitalization

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students and families in metropolitan regions

Target Learning Goals¶

• Access to integrated, high-quality magnet schools

Affordances¶

• Stable Metropolitan Racial Integration Framework

Related Strategies¶

• Create and foster diverse, effective magnet schools through coordinated federal, state, district, and school policies
• Use community-area demographic descriptor data as an input to school planning and reform

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Orfield, M., & Stancil, W. (2022). Magnet schools and metropolitan civil rights planning: A strategy to revitalize and stabilize distressed communities. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/197.312